Agenda and minutes

Members and officers must declare any pecuniary or personal interest in any business on the agenda.  They should also make declarations at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting.  Consideration should be given to leaving the meeting if the nature of the interest warrants it.  If in doubt please contact Democratic Services before the meeting.

14.1     In accordance with the code of conduct, the following personal interest was declared: -

14.2     Cllr McKnight declared a personal interest in respect of item 7, Outcomes of the Executive Task and Finish Group - West Sussex County Council Careers and Skills as an employee in the health and social care sector

The Committee is asked to agree the minutes of the meeting held on 16 June 2023 (cream paper).

15.1     Resolved – That the Minutes of the meeting held on 16 June 2023 be approved as a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman.

The Committee is asked to note the responses to recommendations made at previous meetings of the Committee.

16.1     Resolved – That the Committee notes the responses.

A report by the Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Support Services setting out the corporate performance, finance, workforce, risk and capital programme positions as at the end of June 2023.

The Committee is asked to examine the data and supporting commentary for the Performance and Resources report and make any recommendations for action to the relevant Cabinet Member or Scrutiny Committee.

17.1     The Committee considered the Quarter 1 Performance and Resources Report by the Director of Finance and Support Services summarising the positions of finance, performance, risk, and workforce as at the end of June 2023 (copy appended to the signed minutes).

17.2     Summary of responses to Members’ questions and comments: -

·         The table of savings includes extra income of £6.3m, the non-delivery of savings at ‘significant risk or not delivered’ (red), but not those ‘at risk’ (amber), mitigations will be put in place

·         The Council monitors savings at ‘significant risk or not delivered’ (red) to see if they can be delivered differently if not, they are taken out of the budget

·         The underspend in Highways & Transport relates to a reduction in projected energy costs for the street lighting Private Finance Initiative contract and a reduced uptake of concessionary fare journeys - there has been an overspend on highways maintenance

·         The Council has budgeted for a 4% pay increase for staff and will use contingency funds to cover this if the award is higher

·         Grants tend to be allocated after the budget has been set so the Council assumes they will be fully spent on expenditure that it wouldn't otherwise be able to fund

·         Some grants come every year but vary in value, so spending plans will be aligned to the value of the grant when known

·         There may be new grants that may give opportunities to do new things, or spend on existing services

·         If a grant for a service is withdrawn, it is likely that the service would have to be withdrawn

·         The quarter 1 position contains indications that inflation is falling slowly, this will be monitored so inflation costs from contracts are known in advance. Planning for next year will include regular checks on assumptions to cover inflation

·         Investment income was set in the budget at a lower rate of interest than the Council is now getting – interest rates will be monitored and a realistic assumption of the rate for next year’s budget made

·         The Council purchases its energy through a consortium that gets the best deal possible

·         The additional £6.3m from the Business Rates and Collection Fund is the difference between what the Council thought would be the return and what it actually was from the district/borough councils. Action: The Director of Finance and Support Services to get more information from the district/borough councils on the breakdown of the Business Rates and Collection Fund returns

·         Capital Programme projects are looked at scheme by scheme with inflation built into the budget for each

·         Projects are taken forward when they are needed by services - where grant money is available, the work has to be done within certain timescales

·         The Asset Management Strategy shows when maintenance/repair work needs to be done on Council buildings

·         A backlog is building up on highways maintenance as this can only be done when the Council receives grants from Government – fewer grants have been received lately so the Council has put  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

A report by the Director of Finance and Support Services setting out the planning process for updating the Council Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy to support business and financial planning over the next five years.

The Committee is asked to scrutinise the report on the Council Plan and Medium Term Financial Strategy.

18.1     The Committee considered a report by the Director of Finance and Support Services (copy appended to the signed minutes).

18.2     Summary of responses to Members’ questions and comments: -

·           The statutory override for the Dedicated Schools Grant deficit will remain off the Council’s balance sheet until 2025/26 - the impact of inflation and costs of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)/school transport may increase the overspend

·           The general reserve was reviewed last year and increased to 5%. It will be reviewed each year taking into account service pressures to ensure it remains at a sufficient level.

·           Action – The Director of Finance and Support Services to check the impact of a 1.99% increase in council tax from 2025/26

·           Reserve levels will be reviewed and replenished over a five-year period and forms part of the budget setting process

·           The Council wants to move towards a longer-term view of the financial position due to the continuing pressures in adults and children’s social care which need to be planned for

·           The Council uses the September forecast for price inflation as it is when it starts to set the budget and it is often the index used in its contracts. Price inflation will be monitored till December as budget papers then have to be finalised before going to Cabinet in January

·           The Council closely monitors the number of children with special educational needs and disabilities and is investing in Special Support Centres and a new special school in Worthing

·           The report mentions Value for Money (VFM) in a number of places, the committee would welcome more information on what this means for the Council as a whole and how it is assessed and monitored.

18.3     Resolved – that the Committee: -

                i.       Welcomes the report and in particular the inclusion of extra information in relation to financial resilience and sustainability which it had requested

               ii.       Continues to raise concerns over the level of the Dedicated Schools Grant deficit and the resulting impact on the wider budget and welcomes officers continuing to discuss this with Government in terms of the way forward in future

             iii.       Welcomes the review of reserve levels as part of the ongoing budget process

             iv.       Recognises the on-going service pressures and how these will be taken into account in the longer-term financial planning

               v.       Welcomes the longer-term approach to the budget and Member engagement

             vi.       Recognises the number of assumptions that need to be used and that these will be monitored and adjusted during the budget process

            vii.       The Committee’s Business Planning Group to consider a review/look at value for money

Report by the Director of HR and Organisational Development.

The Committee is asked to scrutinise the content of the report which sets out the recommendations and proposed actions to further improve the recruitment and retention of staff at the Council.

19.1     The Committee considered a report by the Director of HR and Organisational Development (copy appended to the signed minutes).

19.2     Summary of responses to Members’ questions and comments: -

·         The recommendations of the Task & Finish Group will be carried out within current resources as far as possible with officers taking on responsibility for key issues such as apprenticeships

·         Work was underway with schools and colleges to identify career pathways within the Council – it was suggested that the Council could explore working with colleges outside West Sussex

·         It was also suggested that the Council target people wanting career changes including those working in health & social care

19.3     Resolved – that the Committee: -

                i.      Welcomes the report and thanks the Task & Finish Group for the work undertaken

               ii.      Looks forward to hearing the results of the outcomes through the Performance & Resources Report or when it receives a further update on recruitment and retention (expected in January 2024)

             iii.      Suggests the need to look beyond the boundaries of West Sussex in terms of links to schools and colleges

             iv.     Requests that officers look at work experience links to schools

               v.     Requests that a Human Resources strategic plan is key to success going forward

             vi.     Suggests officers look beyond young people and includes those seeking a career change

            vii.     Recognises the work being done to look at pay structures generally

The Committee is asked to review its current draft work programme taking into account the scrutiny checklist (Appendix A) and highlight any further possible items for future scrutiny.

If any member puts forward such an item, the Committee’s role at this meeting is to assess, briefly, whether to refer the matter to its Business Planning Group to consider in detail.

The Committee is also asked to review the Forward Plan of Key Decisions (Appendix B) and consider whether it wishes to enquire about any of the forthcoming decisions within its portfolio.

20.1     The Committee considered the Forward Plan of Key Decisions and its Work Programme (copies appended to the signed minutes).

20.2     Resolved – That the Committee notes the Forward Plan of Key Decisions and its Work Programme.

The next meeting of the Committee will be at 10.30am on 27 November 2023 at County Hall, Chichester.  Probable agenda items include: -

·         Quarterly Performance and Resources Report

·         Centenary House Durrington and the Property Joint Venture

·         Progress on the Joint Venture Partnership

·         IT and Digitisation Strategy

·         Capita in-sourcing

·         To Be Confirmed - Budgetary implications

Any member wishing to place an item on the agenda for the meeting must notify the Director of Law and Assurance by 10 November 2023.

21.1     The Committee notes its next meeting will take place on 27 November 2023, commencing at 10.30am.